Not Applicable
Not Applicable.
This invention relates to pet enclosures and environments, and, in particular, to a pet environment that can serve multiple functions.
Enclosures and environments for dogs and other animals have long been used. Typical enclosures and environments include beds, cages, boxes, or fences, in which dogs may sleep, socialize with other animals, retreat from family activity, or be contained, for example, overnight, or when the owner is out of the house. However, such enclosures, although adequate for their intended purposes, still have drawbacks.
For example, a simple corrugated or wooden box may be used to contain a new puppy within the home. However, the box may readily become soiled and begin to emit offensive odors until the puppy becomes fully housebroken and/or the box is disposed of. If the puppy is teething, it will likely chew on, and damage or destroy, the box.
Furthermore, unless the box allows the puppy to readily see human and animal activity outside of the box, the box will inhibit the socialization process that is important to the development of a good family pet.
A metal cage somewhat reduces the problems associated with toileting, socialization, and teething, but it inhibits quick and easy access to the puppy for housebreaking and nurturing by both the mother dog and its human owners. It is also generally the most expensive type of pet environment.
A metal cage, along with corrugated and wooden boxes, is also not very compatible with typical home interior decor.
Boxes may inhibit a mother dog""s view of, and access to, her puppies. If a mother dog should feel that her puppies need her, or she wants to feed (i.e., nurse) them, the mother dog may not have a sufficient view of the puppies to know where they are in the box, and can inadvertently injure them when she steps (or jumps) into the box to be with the puppies.
When a mother dog nurses her puppies, she most often lays down with her back against the wall of the whelping box. Sometimes, a puppy can be behind the mother, and the mother will lean against the puppy, possibly resulting in the suffocation of that puppy. In a standard wooden whelping box, a small wooden rail is often mounted to the inner surface of the walls. The rail assures that there is a space between the mother""s body and the wall of the box. It also discourages the mother from leaning against the wall, since doing so would be uncomfortable. Thus, a clear breathing space for puppies will always be available between the mother""s body and the wall of the whelping box to reduce the possibility of a puppy being caught between the mother dog and the wall of the whelping box. However, these rails are permanent and the box is primarily used for the single purpose of whelping.
Currently, there are many enclosures and environments that are available for pets. However, the respective enclosures are single use enclosures and environments; they serve only as a bed, for containment, a whelping box, or a personal space, for example. We know of no pet enclosures which are capable of serving all these functions at various times. Additionally, many of the currently existing pet enclosures are not easily cleaned; are not easily transportable; and often, do not complement the decor of the room or house in which they are placed.
Briefly stated, an animal enclosure is provided which can be used for a plurality of purposes. The animal enclosure first of all includes a pen sized to hold the animal (i.e., dog). The pen comprises two side walls, a rear wall, a front wall, and a gate. The gate can be made of a single movable panel, or a plurality of removable panel slats or frames. In the first instance, the single panel is vertically movable in a channel between a raised position in which the gate is closed and a lowered position in which the gate is opened. A fastener is provided to secure the gate panel in a desired location. In the second instance, the gateway includes a channel which receives the panel slats. The slats are added, one on top of the other, until a desired height is reached. The slats can be solid or formed from wire (and opened). Whether the gate is made from a single panel or a plurality of slats, the gate panel can be provided with a top edge guard extending across at least a majority of the top of the panel to provide a smooth, unchewable surface across the top of the gate.
The enclosure walls are formed by framing (i.e., tubing) and the individual walls are hingedly connected together, such that the frame can be moved between a folded and an opened position. A corner lock is provided to maintain the enclosure in the opened position. The hinges can comprise eye bolts having a head which receives a vertical member of one wall and a shaft which extends through the vertical member of an adjacent wall. Alternatively, the hinges can comprise extruded lengths defining a pair of connected cylinders open along the length of the walls of the cylinders to snappingly receive the tubing of the frame. The corner lock comprises a corner brace which extends between adjacent walls, and is removable from at least one of the walls to which it is attachable to allow for folding of the enclosure.
A removable, washable pen cover is provided to cover the frame of the pen. The pen cover includes downwardly facing pockets along upper edges thereof which are sized to fit over the frame members. The pen cover has, for example, ties, snaps, or Velcro(copyright) fasteners, at the bottom of the cover walls to secure the cover to the frame bottom member.
An optional top is provided for the pen to give the pen a den-like feeling. The top is removably mountable to the pen. The top is made from a frame having a back edge, a front edge, and side edges. The frame is covered with a removable, washable top cover. The top is hingedly connected to the enclosure at the top back edge using a pair of spaced apart eye bolts as hinges. The eyebolt shafts are received in holes in the pen frame. The eyebolt shafts are not fastened to the pen frame so that the top can be removed very quickly if necessary. Alternatively, the top can be snappingly connected to the frame using the extrusion noted above. A pair of pivotal support arms are spaced rearwardly of the front edge of the top and have free ends which engage the top of the pen to support the front of the top above the pen frame. Preferably, the pen is provided with a plurality of openings into which the top support arms extend to enable the top to be positioned at a desired degree. The top is also provided with side flaps which hang from the top to a point below the top edge of the pen side walls. Because the top is hinged at its back, and elevated at its front, it forms a type of lean-to.
The enclosure can also be provided with a whelping rail which is removably received in the pen. The whelping rail comprises a frame having a bar member and legs extending diagonally downwardly and outwardly from the bar. The legs support the bar above a bottom of the pen and inwardly from the pen walls.